THE HAGUE--The Kingdom Council of Ministers did not yet make any decisions about Curaçao in Friday’s meeting. It looked like the Dutch Caribbean country would be given a budgetary instruction to get its financial management and budget in order, but State Secretary Raymond Knops said they would discuss it further in three weeks.
Knops emphasized that The Hague and Willemstad have been talking for some time about opportunities to stimulate the economy and to get related reforms started. "We will continue to have these discussions and we will work out and implement the cooperation agreement."
The kingdom council also touched on Curaçao's request to depart from the “normal” budget rules because of special circumstances due to crisis in Venezuela. No decision was taken on this either. But Knops did acknowledge that the deteriorating situation in the neighbouring South American nation has major consequences for the island.
Curaçao Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath, who attended the meeting, is pleased that there is still "room" to continue consultations. He stressed that his government was committed to a "more sustainable, structural reform programme.”
Rhuggenaath said to be sure this will work with support from the Netherlands.
